There is some exciting new technology coming to the Georgian Central SCIA’s region this year. Deb Campbell of Agronomy Advantage will be working with a local producer as part of the ‘beta’ phase roll-out of the new SWAT Cam crop imaging technology.
This will be the second farm using the tech in Ontario, and one out of only 100 units in use across Canada so far.
SWAT Cams are cameras which mount to sprayer arms and photograph the field roughly 20 times per acre. They upload images in real time to the SWAT mapping database and are available for both the producer and their agronomy rep with data including crop establishment counts and biomass (weed density).
Deb is excited to put the tech to use, saying that it will bring big value to producers in terms of population, nitrogen, and fungicide management. By identifying stand counts over various areas of the field in the first sprayer pass, they will be able to adapt and target variable rate applications for maximum efficiency of subsequent passes. She said that in the past there have likely been ‘low-hanging fruit’ problem areas in fields which were known intuitively, but now will be able to be quantified, diagnosed and managed.
The tech is similar to using satellite imagery for crop diagnosis, but will be far more accurate, and will provide data in much greater detail. SWAT Cams can detect and identify seedling crops long before satellites would be able to, and with 20 images per acre the data is far more specific. Images are also collected anytime the sprayer passes over a field, which takes away the unpredictability of satellite imagery (When will it pass over? Will the cloud cover be too thick?).
SWAT Cams will decrease labour needed for crop scouting, (an important consideration with labour shortages felt across the industry) while expanding the surveyed area to cover every acre the sprayer passes over. Producers and their teams will use stand establishment data to evaluate prescriptions, equipment settings and adjust strategies for finishing this crop before planning out next year’s.
We hope to hear more about this exciting technology that is getting its start right here in the Georgian Region. In the meantime, if you’d like more information, check out Croptimistic Technology’s website: https://swatmaps.com/product/swat-cam or get in touch with Deb Campbell at Agronomy Advantage for her experience with it so far.